Prepared by: Etrit Rexhepi
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is organizing a rally to welcome Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli, the former leaders of this political entity, at the Pristina International Airport “Adem Jashari”, on December 20. This claim was made through a Facebook post from the airport’s page. The photo of this post was found published on TikTok by an account named “kadriveseloficial_”.
Among the contents of this account Similar publications have been encountered, featuring Facebook posts by public figures such as Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), and the deputy mayor of Skenderaj, Sami Lushtaku. All of this content shares the same claim: that Thaçi and Veseli have been released and will come to Kosovo on December 20.
The fact-checking platform, hibrid.info, has addressed six of these pieces of content, dating from November 24 to December 3 of this year, including them in five articles shedding light on the claim, which have been classified as "Fraud" and "Fake News", based on this platform's assessment methodology (see here, here, here, here and here).
It is not known when this TikTok account was opened, but its first post was published on November 11 (see here) and that in most publications, political support is observed for former leaders and public figures who are currently in leadership positions in PDK.
for çWhat are they accused of?çie Veseli in The Hague?
Specialist Prosecutor's Office (SPO) and Specialist Chambers were established as temporary institutions to investigate and prosecute serious crimes related to the conflict in Kosovo, including crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between 1998 and 2000. They function as part of the Kosovo judicial system, but their headquarters are located in The Hague, the Netherlands, to ensure an independent and impartial process.
According to this institution, allegedly that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi as members of the KLA committed crimes against hundreds of civilians and persons not taking part in hostilities. According to the indictment, the crimes in question were committed from March 1998 to September 1999 in Kosovo and several areas in Northern Albania. They are charged with individual criminal responsibility. The charges include:
Crimes against humanity (6 counts): persecution, imprisonment, inhumane acts, torture, unlawful killings, and enforced disappearances.
War crimes (4 counts): unlawful detention, cruel treatment, torture, and unlawful killings.
The crimes allegedly occurred in the context of a non-international conflict and a systematic attack against suspected opponents of the KLA.
INDICTMENT The first indictment against the four defendants was confirmed on 26 October 2020 and has been amended several times. In July 2021, the court ordered corrections excluding some liability, while in 2022 and 2023, new charges were included and details about the perpetrators, victims and locations were clarified. In September 2022, the allegations for the crimes in Ferizaj were withdrawn. The current indictment, with amendments and updates, was finalized in February 2023 and is still in force.
When did the trial begin and when is it expected to end?
The trial of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began on April 3, 2023 with the opening statements of the Specialized Prosecutor and the victims' representative, followed by the defense teams on April 4 and 5, 2023. There are 153 victims participating in this court case. Based on information on the website of the institution established for the investigation and prosecution of the crimes for which Thaçi and Veseli are accused, it remains in judgement.
At the preparatory conference of the Specialized Prosecutor – February 15, 2023, the presiding judge, Charles Smith, stated that the trial panel had set the closing date of the prosecution's case as April 1, 2025.
The spokesperson for the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Michael Doyle, had a similar opinion, in a statement: interview for the news agency "ekonomiaonline.com" indicated that the Prosecution of this institution is expected to call all its witnesses against the former KLA leaders, who are being tried in The Hague, by April 2025, also announcing the conclusion of this trial next year.
What could be the reason for the publication?
Based on the latest data on misinformation about the February 9, 2025 elections, hibrid.info has found that, since the election date was set, 14 fake polls have been identified and verified, most of them published on TikTok.
Hibrid further estimates that the simple video formats on TikTok help spread misinformation more quickly, mainly affecting politics and election campaigns.
context
Hibrid.info has in the past handled some content that falsely claimed about the final verdict of the trial against Hashim Thaçi (see here, here, here, here and here).
Donald Trump had secured the necessary Electoral College votes to win the presidential election on November 5 in the United States of America (USA), defeating Kamala Harris.
Richard Grenell, President Trump's former envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, in his first term, had stated on several occasions that Thaçi must be released. and that he had stated that if Trump comes to power, will work to get him out of prison the former president of Kosovo.